Play a fade on purpose instead of slicing: start line left of the target, face slightly open to the path, neutral grip. With drills, mistakes and safety tips.
A fade is a shot that (for right-handers) starts left of the target and curves gently left-to-right to the target. It arises when the clubface is slightly open relative to the swing path, while the path points farther left than the face. The difference from a slice is only the amount of curve.
You already have the basis: the ball starts predominantly where the face points, namely 61 to 83 percent, and the rest follows the path [1]. For the fade this means: the face points somewhat left of the target (the start line), the path points even farther left. The face is thus "open to the path", and the ball curves right. How close these must be depends on your speed and the club.
Honestly: many beginners already know the fade, they just call it a slice because it is uncontrolled. The difference is not the direction of the curve but control: in a fade you decide the start line and the strength of the curve. That requires a repeatable impact.
A slice happens to you. A fade is a plan.
Why learn a fade at all? From the experience of many coaches (not a study): a ball that curves gently right lands more softly and is easier to control in wind and toward flags on the right. The price is that you must control the face at impact very precisely. That is why the fade comes after impact, not before.
Choose a start line slightly left of the target (a small angle, a few meters at 100 meters; practice). The ball starts where the face points [1].
Aim the face at the start line. Then align feet, hips and shoulders even farther left (slightly open stance) so your body lies on the swing path. The face then points less far left than the path, so it is "open to the path".
Here lurks the common thinking error: you do not need to make the grip clearly weaker. In a study, weaker grips were less accurate and carried less far than neutral and stronger ones [2]. A very weak grip therefore makes the fade uncontrollable. Keep the grip neutral and let alignment do the work.
Shifting the ball position to the left rotates the shoulders and the clubface aim to the left of the target [3]. That fits the fade setup. Give the ball one to two centimeters more forward (practice). No more is needed.
Swing fully through to a balanced finish. If you brake, you do not close the face in time and the ball becomes a high, weak slice. The fade needs speed (practice).
Milestone: of 10 balls, at least 7 start left of the target and curve back right, landing no more than a few meters right of the target (practice target).
A fade ends right. Play it only when the right side is open, not on holes with out of bounds or water on the right, as long as you do not master it. If the ball heads toward people, shout "Fore!". Change grip and alignment in small steps and build the fade first with the iron, then with the driver. This guide does not replace supervised training.
You can tell a fade from a slice by looking at the start line. In a fade the ball starts where you planned, left of the target; in a slice it starts straight or to the right and bends too far away. If it starts straight and lands right, your face was open to the target, not only to the path: check alignment and set the face earlier.
Face to a start line slightly left of the target, body aligned even farther left, grip kept neutral, ball a bit farther forward, and swing fully through. The difference between face and path produces the curve to the right.
The fade curves gently and under control to the target; the slice curves strongly and ends far right. Both arise from a face that is open relative to the path. The slice has a bigger difference and often happens unintentionally.
No. Weaker grips were less accurate and carried less far than neutral and stronger ones in one study [2]. Better: a neutral grip and changed alignment.
Yes, the face points somewhat left of the target, and the ball starts predominantly in the direction of the face, 61 to 83 percent [1]. After that the difference between face and path makes it curve right back to the target.
When you want to play left-to-right around an obstacle or a hole has a left-to-right shape. For many players the fade is easier to control than the draw, but that is experience, not a study.
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